More on LinuxToday

The limits of evangelism

"I should know better, but every now and then I make
the mistake of trying to explain why people should use free and
open source software (FOSS). Often, the effort occurs at end of the
year gatherings when someone asks me what I do for a living, and
almost always the ensuring conversation is torturous.

"For one thing, I'm not a natural seller. I can make a case, but
if it doesn't convince, I respect people's rights to their own
opinions too deeply to continue pushing for very long.

"Even more importantly, figuring out the approach can be
frustrating. The fact that you can download FOSS for free seems
trivial at best to my average audience. Making an ethical case is
usually more successful -- but presents a difficult problem: How do
persuade people that they want something when they don't know it
exists?"